by jpdurbin » Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:24 pm
Being a “chairiot-rider”, I find this an interesting thread. There are many places that are great about accommodating people with disabilities but others lack. Now, I do not always blame the establishment. I get my haircut at Woody’s on Baxter. There is a ½ step into the place. They cannot put a ramp out due to a tripping hazard yet the must have a ramp via ADA… What do they do?
There are many places I frequent, mainly Pestos, Bistro301, Saffrons, Melillos, Artemisia, 4SL, Felice, Browning’s, Flanagans, Molly Malone’s, and The Bodega at Felice. They all are great for accessibility. Other places lack accessibility but work around it (Webb’s Market, Jerry’s, Woody’s et al…). I have been (rarely) to other places that treated me like an issue to deal with. Usually it was a server that was uncomfortable with my disability and not an issue with the establishment. Now I cannot blame the server for something I have been guilty of in the past. In the various places I tended bar, I never had that issue but one day at Kelly’s I ran across a past girlfriend’s step brother who was fresh out of the hospital wearing a halo and needed a boost into the bar. I was uncomfortable. I gave him a quick boost, headed to my car, thought ‘thank god I had my health’ only to have him visit me in rehab a few months later with his exact same injury… Interesting visit. I truly believe most of the bad experiences I had were just wait staff with the fear of the unknown and not demeaning.